People do good because they are
human,
not because they are religious!

Do not give God any credit for the good they do, they did it!

PAGAN ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION

The similarity between the Jesus story and earlier stories about mythological
heroes and pagan Gods and legends concerning Old Testament prophets has given
rise to the view that the gospels were made up by people who plagiarised these
tales.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

The Fathers of the Church sometimes admitted that Christianity existed before
Christ. St Augustine one of the most brilliant albeit nevertheless twisted minds
the Church ever produced wrote, “Among the ancients, this thing called the
Christian religion existed. It was not absent from the start of the human race
even before Christ came in the flesh. When he came the true religion then became
known as Christianity” (Retractiones).

The Second Book of Esdras expresses ideas that must have been stolen by the
Christians later.

“For my son the Messiah shall be revealed with those who are with him, and
those who remain shall rejoice four hundred years. After those years my son the
Messiah shall die, and all who draw human breath.”

“And as for the lion whom you saw rousing up out of the forest and roaring and
speaking to the eagle and reproving him for his unrighteousness, and as for all
his words that you have heard, this is the Messiah whom the Most High has kept
until the end of days, who will arise from the offspring of David".

“When these things take place and the signs occur that I showed you before, then
my Son will be revealed, whom you saw as a man coming up from the sea.”

“Then he, my Son, will reprove the assembled nations for their ungodliness.”

“The Most High shall be revealed on the seat of judgment, and compassion shall
pass away, and patience shall be withdrawn. Only judgment shall remain, truth
shall stand, and faithfulness shall grow strong.”

“And I will raise up the dead from their places, and bring them out from their
tombs, because I recognize my name in them.”

“Remember your children that sleep, because I will bring them out of the hiding
places of the earth, and will show mercy to them; for I am merciful, says the
Lord Almighty.”

“After seven days the world that is not yet awake shall be roused, and that
which is corruptible shall perish. The earth shall give up those who are asleep
in it, and the dust those who rest there in silence; and the chambers shall give
up the souls that have been committed to them.”

“The pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall be the place of rest;
and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed, and opposite it the paradise of
delight. Then the Most High will say to the nations that have been raised from
the dead, ‘Look now, and understand whom you have denied, whom you have not
served, whose commandments you have despised. Look on this side and on that;
here are delight and rest, and there are fire and torments.’ Thus he will speak
to them on the day of judgment.”

St Justin Martyr in the second century stated that in relation to the virgin
birth of Jesus and his crucifixion and death and his resurrection and ascension
the Christians said nothing that the sons of the pagan divinity Jove were not
saying.

Early Church Father Origen said nothing in reply to Celsus who said that
Christianity brought absolutely nothing new in philosophy or doctrine or stories
about crucified and rising saviours for he couldn’t say anything.

St Gregory of Nazianen wrote to St Jerome that the Fathers or theologians who
helped form the Churchs doctrine were often guilty of saying what they had to
say not what they thought (page 55, 56, The Pagan Christ). So truth was of
secondary importance to them.

Origen complained about the considerable alterations of the scriptures by
Christians (page 59, The Pagan Christ).

There can be no doubt then that when the Fathers admitted that their faith was
nothing new it was the truth. It didn’t help their cause for them to confess
that. There can be no doubt that when they defended orthodox Christianity they
may have been twisting facts and lying to do so.

Conclusion

There is no evidence that Jesus lived when the Jesus story was anything but
original. The story was copied from other sources and you don’t need to copy
stories about a man who really lived.

Challenging the Verdict
A Cross-Examination of Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ
http://human.st/jesuspuzzle/CTVExcerptsOne.htm
http://human.st/jesuspuzzle/CTVExcerptsTwo.htm
http://human.st/jesuspuzzle/CTVExcerptsThree.htm#Twelve

The Martyrdoms of Peter and Paul, Peter Kirby
http://home.earthlink.net/~kirby/